Market-oriented operational strategy for biomass-geothermal combined power generation and hydrogen production plant

Abstract

Biomass energy and geothermal energy, as two forms of green and clean energy, offer low carbon emissions and abundant resource potential. To achieve hierarchical energy utilization and reduce carbon emissions, this study develops a novel framework for a renewable energy hydrogen production plant by leveraging the thermal coupling characteristics of biomass gasification, biomass-assisted electrolytic hydrogen production, and geothermal power generation. Subsequently, a mathematical model for the system is established. Due to the increase in hydrogen production potentially crowding out power generation resources, a dual-layer optimization operational model for the renewable energy hydrogen production plant in an integrated electricity-hydrogen market environment is further proposed to enhance its profitability. The upper-level model aims to maximize the plant’s profit, while the lower-level model seeks to minimize social costs. The bi-level model is then converted into a Mixed-Integer Second-Order Cone Programming model using methods such as Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions, and simulations are conducted on two systems of different scales for validation. The results show that waste heat utilization increases the revenue of the renewable energy hydrogen production plant by approximately 22 %. Additionally, when the plant participates in both the electricity and hydrogen markets, its revenue increases by about 6.2 %. Biomass-assisted electrolytic hydrogen production reduces electrolytic energy consumption by 1.08–1.58 kWh/m³.